Strapless belt loop suspenders - and method of suspension of lower garment and improving the appearance of the upper garment

ABSTRACT

The method and apparatus pertains to conjoining the upper and lower garment to achieve additional support for the lower garment with out the need for suspender straps. At the same time the apparatus remove wrinkles and bulging material in the upper garment that is tucked in. A high adhesive rubber pad is attached to a durable waistband bracket that supports the belt loops which are attached to the waistband which supports the weight of the lower garment. Multiple strapless belt loop suspenders contribute to the support of the weight of the lower garment The additional holding power of the strapless belt suspenders will allow the user the freedom of wearing the lower garment at the height wanted without the use of straps. This extra support will allow the user to show better physical posture by allowing the stomach to be pulled in without their lower garment dropping. The apparatus is comfortable to wear, easy to install or remove and allows the user to leave them in place on the waistband when lowering or removing the lower or upper garment.

REFERENCES CITED [REFERENCED BY] U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS

5,515,544 MAY, 1996 HASKINGS 5,623,735 APRIL, 1997 PERRY 5,774,899 JULY 1998 GRIFFIN 6,163,890 DECEMBER, 2000 UTAMARU 6,308,338 OCTOBER, 2001 CALDWELL 6,804,834 OCTOBER, 2004 MOK

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention has to do with the field of clothing and more particularly the way that the lower garment can be supported at the height that is desired without the use of suspender shoulder straps, to keep the upper garment tucked in and neat looking, and an invention that is easy to put on or take off. The field also includes personal fitness of the stomach muscles by holding the stomach as an exercise or just a short period of better appearance.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The prior art for lower garment supports are belts and suspenders. The belt when properly tightened, works good for many body shapes but in the case of many other people the lower garment slips down while going through the normal day's activities. Belts are normally worn to hold up the lower garment such as for example jeans, shorts, skirts and pants. The belt is inserted through a plurality of belt loops and works by exerting pressure on the waistband of the clothing as it presses against the body to achieve its ability to support the lower garment. The garment that is tucked in such as for example: a shirt, blouse, tee shirt, during normal daily activities pulls out of the lower garment. This is due to gravity causing the lower garment to slip down from the original position at the waist. The person has to pull the clothing back up and re-tuck the upper garment back into the lower garment that had slipped down. During physical activities the re-occurrence of the pull up of the lower garment and the tucking in of the upper garment happens more often. Suspenders are worn by some people to take care of this dropping of the lower garment but the suspender straps are embarrassing to most people. Instead of wearing suspenders they go through the day repeatedly pulling their lower garment up and re-tucking the upper garment. An apparatus was needed to support the lower garment without the need for shoulder straps. There are suspenders that support unseen but they are much more difficult to use than this simple apparatus. The many types of suspenders almost all have straps that are for most people embarrassing, whether seen over or under the shirt. There is also the constricted feeling a person has when wearing suspenders with straps and the other types of under the clothes supports. The suspenders and methods do not improve the appearance of the top garment by pulling down on them to remove wrinkles and keep the shirt tucked in, as this invention does. The shoulder straps over time can become an annoyance because the support of the weight of the lower garment is being transferred to a small area of the shoulder. Since the strapless belt suspender pads are gripping the upper garment, the full shoulder width of the upper garment material is being supported by the shoulders for maximum comfort.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus holds the lower garment up and keeps the shirt tucked in by adhesion of an oval rubber pad to the top layer of tucked in upper garment. The support from the holding power between the soft rubber pads and the outer garment which extends over the shoulders makes suspender straps unneeded. The oval rubber pads are molded to durable plastic brackets that support the lower garment. This is done by supporting the belt loops directly by the strapless belt loop suspenders. When the apparatus is behind the waistband and a belt is worn only a small amount of bracket can be seen and what is seen is a dear material that allows the color of the lower garment to be seen. The user can decide how many strapless belt loop suspenders are needed and where they feel they need support. The strapless belt loop suspenders can be placed anywhere there is a belt loop. If a shirt is tucked in, it will be pulled in a downward direction which will remove any wrinkles and takes away any unsightly baggy shirt bulge around the front and side of the stomach. Beyond the above mentioned advantages when wearing the supports, this apparatus will allow a user to pull their stomach in for better appearance or as an exercise to strengthen their stomach muscles by allowing the user to pull their stomach in and hold it in, without the lower garment falling down. When the user's muscles get tired and lets his stomach back out there are no adjustments that have to be made. When he wants to look better or to do the exercise again, he does not have to adjust anything; just pull in the stomach until he wants to let it out again. If the lower garment has belt loops and fits fairly snuggly around the waist, this apparatus can be used instead of a belt. The hook supports the belt loop directly and is hidden inside the belt loop. The small portion that is visible is dear so the color of the lower garment shows through.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PICTURES

FIG. 1. Universal Bracket Blank is 0.60″ thick polycarbonate.

FIG. 2. Universal Bracket Blank shown with ⅛″ of a low Durometer Santoprene rubber on each side of the bracket.

FIG. 3. Front view of polycarbonate bracket covered with rubber. The piece of polycarbonate that is protruding out of the top of the oval will either be bent to the back using a heat gun to create a left hand apparatus or to the front side to create a right hand apparatus.

FIG. 4. Back view of right hand bracket assembly after protruding polycarbonate was bent to the back of the face.

FIG. 5. Back view left hand bracket assembly after protruding polycarbonate was bent to the front of the face.

FIG. 6. Side view of right and left hand bracket assemblies.

FIG. 7. Side view of the Universal Bracket Blank shown with ⅛″ of a low Durometer Santoprene rubber on each side of the bracket. 

1. A method to support the lower garment and at the same time gently pulling the upper garment in a downward direction into the lower garment, producing a neat and presentable appearance of the upper garment. The support is accomplished without the need for shoulder straps over or under the upper garment. This method comprises: a. that the belt loop suspenders has a plastic bracket that has an oval pad molded over and around an oval portion of the plastic bracket encapsulating it. b. the strapless belt loop suspenders have an oval pad that has high adhesive properties. c. the oval pad has a very low reading on the Shore A Scale when testing with a Durometer. d. the oval pad has seven symmetrically positioned holes on both sides of the pad for better adhesion and appearance. e. a right offset bracket to allow the hook to be hidden from sight in the right belt loop. f. the strapless belt loop suspenders have a left offset bracket to allow the hook to be hidden from sight in the left belt loop. g. left and right brackets can be worn on the waistband in the front and or also on the rear side of the hips. h. front and rear brackets are interchangeable. i. user can wear two or more brackets with pads depending on the users need for support. j. a 90 degree bend in the bracket that allows the bracket to slide over the waistband of the lower garment. k. the oval pads are comfortable to wear and have a high gripping power when pressed against clothing. l. the gripping power of the rubber pads when pressed against clothing is so great that when a plurality is used a large amount of holding power is created. m. this holding power is transferred through the pad to the bracket directly to the belt loop. n. the direct support of the strapless belt loop suspenders eliminates the need to have a belt worn as long as there is a snug fit of the lower garment to the waist.
 2. The method includes how the apparatus is installed or removed and how they work when an upper garment is tucked into the lower garment. a. with the belt fastened, the apparatus is slid on the waistband of the lower garment with the pad facing the person's body. The bracket with the hook end will slide between the belt and the outer side of the waistband. The apparatus is then slid along the waistband to the closest belt loop and because of the offset, the hook can be hidden inside the belt loop and the pad is hidden behind the waistband. The offset is also needed to balance the oval pad so it does not twist out from behind the waistband when force is exerted on the bracket hook. b. to remove the suspenders to put on a different lower garment, just slide the apparatus away from the belt loop. Next lift the entire apparatus up and off the waistband of the lower garment. c. when the outer garment is not tucked in and the under garment is tucked in then the rubber pad will adhere to the undergarment. d. when the person is wearing an undergarment and an outer garment then the rubber pad will adhere to the outer garment.
 3. I claim an apparatus that has a plastic bracket encapsulated with a high adhesive property rubber and bent to form a hook for the waistband and has an offset that hides the hook in the belt loop.
 4. I claim the strapless belt loop suspenders will support the lower garment and at the same time gently pull the upper garment in a downward direction producing a neat and presentable appearance of the upper garment. The support is accomplished without shoulder straps.
 5. I claim an apparatus that has a plastic material thick enough and durable enough to withstand the forces encountered while engaged in normal sports and daily wear.
 6. I claim an apparatus consisting of a plastic bracket and oval rubber pad for easy attachment to a belt loop.
 7. I claim an apparatus consisting of a plastic bracket and a rubber covering that will not be damaged by machine washing if the user forgets to remove them from the lower garment.
 8. I claim an apparatus consisting of a plastic bracket and a rubber covering that is heat resistant up to a temperature that it will not be damaged in a clothes drier if the user forgets to remove them from the lower garment.
 9. I claim that this apparatus allows the user to easily unbuckle their belt and drop their lower garment without restrictions.
 10. I claim that this apparatus allows the user to easily raise their lower garment and buckle their belt without restrictions.
 11. I claim that this apparatus will allow the user to pull their stomach in for better posture and eye appeal without their lower garment dropping down.
 12. I claim that the strapless belt loop suspenders will keep the lower garment up and the upper garment tucked in when the lower garment has tension on the waist of the user and no belt is used.
 13. I claim that the area of the belt loop suspender that normally is covered by the belt will allow the color of the lower ferment to show through the plastic. This same area of plastic can have a design or picture for decoration. 